Fil-Am father, daughters among the victims of a deadly boat fire in Southern California

DALY CITY, Calif. – ABS-CBN News has confirmed that a Filipino American father from Stockton, California and his three daughters were among the passengers of a boat that caught fire near Santa Cruz Island in Southern California on Labor Day.

A family member, who requested anonymity for now, said Michael Quitasol and his daughters, Evan, Nicole and Angela were among the victims of the Concepcion, a 75-foot boat that offered a scuba diving experience over the weekend.

Michael’s wife, Fern, his daughter’s stepmother was also on board. She was not of Filipino descent.

The commercial vessel, which went up in flames at 3:30 am on Monday, had a total of 39 passengers, 33 guests and six crew members.

Only five people, all crew members, were found alive.

The 34 others are presumed dead, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, which called off the search Tuesday morning.

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